Kathy Lynn Friesen

Our dear sweet Kathy flew off with the angels Friday, March 6 to rejoin her recently departed Mother & Father.  Kathy is deeply missed by her loving husband Jasen, and by all those that were close to her.

At an early age, Kathy displayed unusual artistic abilities and a curiosity that only grew with age.  Kathy had a natural ability to draw & sketch which led to wood block printing.  Kathy excelled at high school woodworking - skills that all eventually led to a career in art supplies, printing & picture framing.

After tenures with Home Depot, Burlington Art Supply (now Michaels) and Folkgraphis Frames, Kathy was recruited to start a framing & printing department at Maptown in Edmonton.  Within a few years, this doubled the store’s revenue, so Kathy was promoted to Manager. 

Kathy and Jasen were destined to meet in late 2003 and they complimented one another perfectly.  A destination dream wedding in Jamaica followed in Jan 2008, and that summer, they left Alberta and moved into their Manitoba dream home, where they happily resided until Kathy’s untimely passing.  Kathy’s many talents are found throughout our home – from designing the kitchen, to all the paints & stains to the many furnishings & decorations.  Kathy was multi skilled and personally installed our upstairs blinds & complex walk-in closet arrangement just to name a few. 

Kathy’s artistic interests knew no bounds & she excelled at everything she tried.  Over the years, Kathy took classes in ceramics, stained-glass, silver smithing & willow furniture to name a few.  The last several years, Kathy focused on Christmas crafts – family & friends are all blessed with many of her unique ornaments made with love.  Kathy also amassed a vast collection of 200+ pieces of prized Sherman jewelry that was a personal pleasure.

Kathy got great joy from gardening.  Her flower beds exploded in colour each spring and we enjoyed garden vegetables all summer.  Kathy had a deep affection for wildlife and surrounded herself with pets at an early age.  During our Manitoba years, Kathy enjoyed cats, dogs, horses, cattle, sheep & chickens.  George, and then Buster, made many trips to Trail when Kathy would spend time with her family in BC.

Kathy & Jasen were best friends & soul mates that truly needed each other.  Whether spending two summers mortaring our home foundation stone by stone or wandering the streets of Venice, we did everything together.  One of Kathy’s greatest joys was spending a month in Croatia for her 50th birthday, meeting all her paternal relatives – she called it a dream come true!  We also enjoyed sharing our Hawaii time share with many family & friends over the years – our home was always their home.  Kathy was amazing in the kitchen and enjoyed creating memorable meals for all to enjoy – there were many.

Kathy may have departed too soon but she lives on within all those that knew her and loved her.  Kathy leaves behind a legacy of kindness, caring & compassion that will not be forgotten.